Bear Noel

Rating:
Summary: Bear Noel
Review: Bear Noel is a Christmas delight. I shared it with my second grade class and they hung on every word. The children quickly chimed in on the repetitive parts. So we turned the story into a little "readers theater" with the children taking the part of the animals, acting out the story and speaking the lines. My children and I also loved the illustrations. The beautiful, snow filled pictures were serene and calming. The children just gasped at the beauty of the paintings as I turned each page. I also found the story to be charming. It carries a true Christmas message of Peace on Earth, when all the animals put away their quarrels and problems and find joy in celebrating the season together. I recomend Bear Noel, not just as a book to buy, but as a book to give. It is the perfect present for this holiday season.

Rating:
Summary: A Visual Delight
Review: Bear Noel is a visual delight for readers that will take them well beyond the holiday season. Dunrea interlaces the magic of repetitive language with exquisite watercolor and gouache illustrations to create a cumulative tale that will appeal to a range of readers---both young and old! His artwork breathes life into the woodland characters as they await the arrival of Bear Noel. Readers can hear the hush found deep in the forest created by Dunrea's rich colors, animals with impeccible detail and landscape that defies the confines of the page. Surely, this book now holds the place of a holiday classic on my shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Stiff drawings illustrate a stilted story. A rather disappointing attempt to create a Christmas classic.